Platform for painting poles



2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. Maumee ENITcHELL,

Arme/vens.

OGL 16, 1956 M. E. MITCHELL PLATFORM FOR PAINTING P'LES Filed May 29,` 1952 Oct. 16, 1956 M. E. MITCHELL 2,767,032

PLATFORM FOR PAINTING PoLEs Filed May 29, 14952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. Maumee. EMITHELL,

A 'TONEYS.

Patented Oct. 16, 1956 PLATFORM FDR PAINTING POLES Maurice E. Mitchell, Muncie, Ind., assigner to Mitchell Maintenance Company, Inc., Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application May 29, 1952, Serial No. 290,766

2 Claims. (Cl. 304-9) This invention relates to a work platform adapted especially for use in painting utility poles, and to means for mounting such a platform on a truck. It is the primary object of the invention to provide means for painting utility poles more eciently.

The painting of utility poles is tedious and time-consuming, and involves a high labor cost. Only the lower portion of a pole can be painted from the ground. Upper parts are usually painted from a ladder which the painter carries from pole to pole and which he must move at least once during the painting of each pole. Much of the painters time and effort is wasted in carrying the ladder and moving it around the pole.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a work platform on the side of a truck, from which a painter can paint the entire surface of an upper portion of a pole at one setting; and I mount the platform so that it can be transported in a storage position against the side of the truck and can be moved along the truck, as on a track, and swung to a horizontal work position at any point along the side of the truck. I desirably use a U-shaped platform which in work position provides walkways on three sides of the pole and extends far enough beyond the pole to permit the painter to reach the fourth side of the pole. For access to the platform, I desirably provide a ladder on the truck alongside the platform, and mount it for movement along the truck to the selected position of the platform. With this equipment, the painter drives from pole to pole, stops the truck alongside the pole to be painted, moves the platform longitudinally of the truck to a point opposite the pole, and then swings the platform to work position around the pole. This can be done quickly, with little lost time, and all sides of the pole can be painted with one setting of the platform. In painting poles with such equipment, it is usually desirable to utilize two or more painters, one to paint upper portions of the poles from the platform, and another or others to paint lower parts of the poles from the ground. The painters can work simultaneously on the same pole, but preferably work successively.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a truck provided with a track and platform embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of the truck, with the platform shown in work position embracing a pole;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation similar to Fig. 2, showing the platform in lowered position;

Fig. 5 is a partial end elevation showing a suitable connection between the platform and track; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the relationship of the ladder to the track rails.

In lthe apparatus shown in the drawings, the truck 10 is provided along its right side with a track consisting of a pair of rails 12 and 14 upon which are mounted a platform 16 and a ladder 50. The rails 12 and 14 preferably extend the full length of the side panel of the truck 10 and the platform 16 and ladder 50 are slidable therealong so that they may be adjusted longitudinally of the truck to bring the platform into position opposite the pole to be painted. rIhe platform 16 and ladder 50, while slidable along the rails, are desirably interlocked with at least one of the rails to avoid accidental displacement therefrom, and the platform is also movable between a horizontal work position and a storage position in which it lies at against the side of the truck. Preferably, the movement between such positions is a swinging movement about the upper rail 12. A suitable slidable, interlocked, and swinging connection is shown in Fig. 5. The rail is formed as an upwardly open channel, with a back tiange 20 by which it may be attached to 4the truck, a bottom web 22, an upstanding front flange 24 at the outer edge of the web 22, and a curved hook 26 at the upper edge of the flange 24. The platform is carried by supporting members 28 which have curved hook-shaped portions 30 that pivotally and slidably interlock with the rail 12. The platform is interengaged with the rail by sliding the hooks 30 into the end of the rail 12, and is held interlocked therewith both when in raised position as shown in Fig. 2 and when in folded or lowered position as shown in Fig. 4.

The platform comprises a rigid frame 32, welded or otherwise secured to the supporting members 23. The frame is covered with a suitable ooring 34, conveniently expanded metal, welded or otherwise secured to the frame 32. As shown in Fig. 3, the platform is generally U-shaped, with an inner cross walk 41B extending parallel with the side of the truck and two side walk-ways 42 extending outward from the side of the truck. i have found it convenient to make the platform about 4 feet wide and the side walk-ways about 4 feet long with a spacing of about 18 inches between them.

To support the platform in work position, a brace 36 is pivoted to the walk-ways 42 of the platform at about the middle thereof, and in supporting position such brace 36 extends diagonally downward into releasable engagement with the lower rail 14. By disengaging the brace 36 from the lower rail 14, the platform may be swung downward about the upper rail to its storage position against the side of the truck.

The rails 12 and 14 desirably also carry a ladder 553, slidably supported thereon by a pair of hooks 52, which may be short lengths of the same stock as that of the platform supporting members 28. The hooks 52 are secured to the ladder at suitably spaced points and are slidably interlocked with the two rails 12 and 14 To mount the equipment on a truck, the two rails 12 and 14 are suitably secured to the side wall of the truck in horizontal spaced parallel relation. The platform is then mounted on the rails by sliding the supporting member 28 into the end of the upper rail 12. The ladder' Si? is similarly mounted on the rails 12 and 14 by sliding its hooks 52 into the ends of the rails 12 and 14. The ladder may be either in front of or behind the platform as desired, The platform normally hangs in depending position as shown in elevation in Fig. l and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The inter-engagement between its supporting member 28 and the rail 12 prevents its displacement from the rail, and for normal movement of the truck from pole to pole, the platform can be left hanging from the upper rail 12.

To put the apparatus into use, the truck is driven up alongside a pole 66 to be painted. No exact relationship to the pole is required, because of the freely slidable adjustment which the platform mounting permits. The operator slides the platform in lowered position along the rail 12 to a point opposite the pole 60, and then swings the platform out from the truck, pivotally about the supporting rail 12, with its walk ways 42 swinging up on 'one walkway 42 to the other walkway 42. He can thus move freely around the pole and paint its entire surface in one setting of the platform. When he finishes one pole he simply releases the brace 36, swings the platform i6 -downward againstV the truck, and moves on to the next pole.

The apparatus greatly facilitates the painting of poles.

VIt is quickly moved from pole to pole, it is quickly eet up at each pole, and it permits all sides of a pele to be painted with one setting. It permits the painter to spend his time in painting and not in moving and setting up ladders. The platform may of course be used for other purposes than painting poles, and may be used in conjunction with other equipment. When poles to be painted are higher ythan can be reachedV from the platform of this application, such platform may be used to paint intermediate'portions of the poles and top portions of the poles may be painted using other equipment, which may be carried on the sametruck.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a mobile truck for kservicing a series of fixed pole-like objects, a track mounted longitudinally on the side of the truck, .a platform slidable along the track and movable with respect thereto at any point along the track between a retracted position against Y the side of the truckrand a work position projecting horizontally Vfrom the side of the truck, and releasable means to support the platform in work position, the truck with its platformV in retracted Y position being Vmovable to a position of general relationshipwith aV pole-like object, in which such object stands beside the truck opposite any point along the track, and the platform being then mov- Y able both along the track and to its Work position to carry it to a specified work relationship to the object with which the truck is thus generally related, said platform being U-shaped and the movement thereof from retracted position to work position carrying the open side of the Y platform outward from the truck.

2. A service truck, a rail along the side thereof, a U-shaped platform pivotally and slidably supported by the rail, said platform having a storage position against the side of the truck and being swingable outward from the truck at any point in its sliding range to carry the open side of the platform outward thereby permitting the platform to be brought into embracing relationship with a fixed pole-like object at any point along the side of the truck, and a supporting brace pivotally'mounted on said platform and engageable with the side of the truck for supporting the platform in an outwardly eX- tending position.

References tCit'ed in they file of this patent UNTED `Srll'sfilhi PATENTS 534,608 Leonhardt Feb. 19, 1895 582,097 RoosV May 4, 1897 667,803 Stone Feb. 12, 1901 788,883 Brown May 2,1905 909,876 Duncon et al. Ian. 19, 1909V 1,005,080 Storm Oct.'3, 1911 1,118,385 Timmerman Nov. 24, 1914 2,094,300 Y Moore Sept. 28, 1937 2,133,347 Fedeler Oct. 18, 1938 2,309,210 Phillips Ian. 26, 1943 2,311,932 Deckard Feb. 23, V1943 2,326,052 Moore Aug. 3, 1943 2,370,434 Wolf Feb. 27,V 1945 2,375,104 Heitshu May 1, 1945 2,601,092 CardifC June 17, 1952 Prince Nov. 4, 1952 

